Louisiana Representative Rick Gallot (D-Grambling) has introduced HB 533. This is the Secretary of State’s omnibus election law bill. Among other things, it would remove the names of candidates for presidential elector from the November ballot. Louisiana currently is one of six states that still prints the names of candidates for presidential elector on ballots. The other states are Arizona, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, and Oklahoma.
Printing the names of presidential elector candidates on the ballots doesn’t give voters any additional choices. No state lets voters vote for individual candidates for presidential elector. Also, printing their names on the ballot takes up space on the ballot. Obviously the more populous a state is, and the more presidential electors it has, the more ballot space is needed. Louisiana has 9 presidential electors, and the 2008 ballot had nine presidential tickets on the ballot, so the ballot had to bear the names of 81 candidates for presidential elector. Thanks to Randall Hayes for this news.